The St. Thomas Landslide Hazard Mapping is a 2-year project funded by the Government of Jamaica, which is geared towards landslide hazard mitigation. The objective of the project is to produce a user-friendly hazard map, which will be used as a tool to guide professional planners, engineers and developers to plan housing developments and infrastructural works in a sustainable way. It is also expected that the exercise will reduce economic losses as well as life and property.

The first draft of the map is now completed depicting five (5) hazard zones ranging from no hazard to very high hazard zones. The final map is to be completed by the end of February 2003.

The parish of St. Mary has over the years been severely affected by landslides during heavy rains. An example of the disastrous effects of landslide on communities is recorded in recent memory with the occurrence of the Preston Lands Landslide in March 1986, which totally destroyed the community of Preston Lands.

The activities for the project are as follows:

Aerial photographic Interpretation

Field work/investigation to identify and confirm areas of slope instability.